


He’s Out Of My League.

by darlingjongin



Category: offgun
Genre: Accountant!Off, Humour, Love At First Glance, M/M, Model!Gun, Romance, Slight Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28913469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingjongin/pseuds/darlingjongin
Summary: Off, an ordinary accountant with nothing much to brag about, ends up being the interest of top model Gun Atthaphan. His friends refuse to believe someone as plain as him could be with someone as gorgeous as Gun and warns him their relationship isn’t going to last long.
Relationships: Off Jumpol Adulkittiporn/Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat
Comments: 9
Kudos: 172





	He’s Out Of My League.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to Rosh (@ClownForOffGun on twitter)! I hope you have a wonderful day. I rushed this fic since I only found out your birthday a couple of days ago so the plot might be a bit boring but I hope you still enjoy it. Happy reading!

‘Gun Atthaphan? _The_ Gun Atthaphan?’, Tay Tawan snorted on his drink, spitting it straight on Off’s face as soon as his friend announced that he was finally dating.

‘Isn’t he a model?’, Arm asked, laughing at the way Off wiped his face with the ends of his sleeves, still wearing his work clothes of plain brown blazer with matching wide trousers and a washed out tie. Arm looked at his friend up and down with sceptical eyes, wondering if he should believe his sudden announcement. He loved Off and they’ve spent most of college protecting him due to his naïve and gullible nature. He was cute for sure, but he didn’t carry himself well. (No offence to him but oversized shirts and trousers didn’t do much for him).

‘Yeah’, Off smiled, taking off his round glasses and wiping the droplets of water.

‘And how did you meet him?’, Tay asked, not believing him one bit as he leaned back on his chair, eyeing his friend who awkwardly put his round glasses back on, ‘It’s not like you go to high end places after work, do you?’

‘I met him in the office’, Off explained, ‘He’s friends with my manager’

‘Bullshit’, Arm and Tay both laugh at him whilst they drank their beer.

‘Since when are models friends with accountants?’

‘Don’t ask me’, Off shrugged, and despite his friends making fun out of him he still had a small smile on his face as he drank his beer, wincing at the bitter taste of alcohol. He was never much of a drinker, even in college, but since his friends seemed to love it, he had no choice but to have at least one glass of beer when they meet up at the bar after their work.

‘So, even if you did meet someone like Gun, how the hell did you get him to say yes to you?’

‘I didn’t ask him, he asked me’

‘Okay, now if you’re gonna lie to us, you have to at least make it believable’, Arm snorted, kicking Off’s legs under the table, ‘We know damn well Gun wouldn’t be asking you out on a date’

‘Why?’, Off scrunched his eyebrow as he tried to glare at his friends, but despite their jokes he could never be fully mad at them, instead he combed his hair back and straightened his creased white shirt as he tried to make himself look intimidating and sexy – but with his plain work clothes and thick round glasses, it didn’t really do much for him.

‘Paint us the picture then’, Tay joked, ‘Tell us how the day went and how _the_ Gun Atthaphan came to ask you out?’

‘Well…’, Off coughed a little bit, playing with his fingers as he nervously look at his friends. But Arm and Tay both took it as his inability to lie and they began to laugh again, clapping their hands.

‘You don’t have to lie to us bud’, Arm swung his arm around Off and pushed him closer, ‘If you really want a boyfriend I can hook you up to a blind date. I know a lot of guys at work who might like you’

‘I don’t need to. I swear I’m dating Gun’

‘Sure buddy, sure’

* * *

**_One Week Ago._ **

‘Off have you prepared the files for our next clients? We need it for next week’, his manager called out to him as he passed his desk, handing him a pile of new paperwork to file and organise. He slid his glasses up and smiled, giving his manager a nod even though his current work wasn’t finished but he didn’t have it in him to complain, so he took the pile and added it to his current work.

Off’s office desk was colourful compared to everyone else on the floor. He had Polaroids of his family pasted on his walls, followed with stickers and drawing his niece and nephew drew for him, pinned on the wall. His coffee cup was made out of recycling material but had flowers painted all over it courtesy of his sister’s Christmas present to him and beside his computer screen was a small pig stuffed toy resting beside his cup of pencils and pens. He was usually made fun out of, but he didn’t care, compared to everyone’s monochromatic life, he seemed pretty content with his.

With his manager inside his office, Off took it upon himself to have a little break, playing with the pins and chaining them around like daisy chains. Working in the office was tedious and his imagination was limited to just playing around with his office supplies when he needed to procrastinate. Folding post-it-notes in little bird origami and making paper clip necklaces to keep him entertained.

Off was too focused on the paper clips that he didn’t notice someone walking out of the elevator and heading towards his manager’s office.

‘Woah’, his colleagues lifted their heads from their computer screens, their mouths gaping when they recognised the man passing by their desks. All except Off, who was too busy fixing his messy desk as he tried to dismantle his paper clip necklace one by one.

‘Is that really him?’

‘No way’

‘Hey White!’, the man called out their manager by their first name, which shocked everyone as their manager walked out of his office, smiling and waving at him like an old friend.

‘Since when was he friends with Gun?’

‘Maybe he’s our next client?’

‘That would be amazing!’

‘What’re we talking about?’, Off slid his chair to his desk mate as soon as he heard them whispering amongst themselves.

‘Did you not see who just walked into our floor?’, Alice whispered. Off shook his head, only for his work mates to laugh at him, patting his back, ‘You probably won’t recognise him. Do you even have social media?’

‘I have Facebook’, he commented, but everyone else just laughed at him even more.

‘Please stay this innocent’, Alice smiled, nudging er shoulder against his as they continued gossiping. Off, without having any more care, went back to his own desk, sliding back and almost tripping down as he grabbed his pen and went back to work.

‘Let’s go grab some lunch and catch up. It’s been such a long time’

‘That’s because you’re always travelling the world. You need to give yourself a break Gun’

‘This is my break. Why do you think I have the time to finally visit you?’

‘Touché’, Off looked up and saw his manager passing by his desk with what seemed to be the most beautiful man he’d ever laid eyes on. He was shorter, his hair parted to the side. It took him a second longer to look back on his computer since he was slightly enamoured by the way the man looked. He wondered how his manager could know someone so regal looking, even in a simple shirt and jeans he looked magnificent.

‘He looks hot’

‘So hot’

‘I wonder if he’s single’

‘Do you think he’d say yes if I asked him out’

Now that Off noticed him, he also noticed the words which followed him, more whispers of his colleagues as they continued to stare at him from a distance. Even from his perspective it felt and sounded uncomfortable and he wondered if the man was okay. He hoped he couldn’t hear them. There were even some who stood up and purposely walked pass him in hopes to get noticed, but despite the amount of attention he was given, the man never batted an eye towards them.

‘Hey Off, I’m going off for lunch, do you mind if you prepare for my afternoon meeting?’, his manager quickly walked over to him before he left the office, which flustered him since the beautiful man followed along shortly.

‘Uh…’, he quickly looked at his growing pile of work already, wanting to say no but not having the bravery to do so, ‘I guess I could do that’, he gave in, bowing his head as his manager patted him on the back.

‘Good man’, he smiled, ‘I’ll see you soon then’

‘Sure thing’, Off nodded again, going back to his computer and getting back to work.

‘Lord of the Rings fan?’, another voice spoke to him, forcing him to turn back. It was the beautiful man.

Off looked back to his desk where he saw a small figure of Gollum right beside his stuffed pig. He felt embarrassed a little, feeling awkward at the thought that the beautiful man probably thought he was a nerd or a geek.

‘Uh… Yeah’, he nodded, ‘This is actually a limited edition that was released in 2003 right when the last movie was released. It was a little pricey but it was totally worth the hunt’, he probably shouldn’t have kept talking, but he was anxious and he tended to blab on when he was faced in a situation he didn’t prepare for, ‘Do you watch it to?’

‘I remember watching it as a kid’, he commented, ‘But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it’

‘Oh. Well, if you wanna rewatch it, you should watch the extended editions. It’s forty minutes longer, but you’ll get a fuller experience’, he could hear his colleagues begin to laugh at him and his cheeks instantly turned red and his eyes reverted down to his shoes, ‘Uh… Yeah. Sorry’, he bowed his head and turned back to his desk, returning to his work and hoping the ground would eat him up.

‘You can be cute sometimes’, Alice giggled at him as she kicked his feet playfully, being his only colleague who found him adorable rather than embarrassing.

All Off could focus on was on his work as his manager and his friend left the floor, burying his head down on his arms and internally kicking himself. He hoped the beautiful man never comes back to visit.

But he came every day for the following week.

Off took it upon himself to pretend not to see him, not even trying to look away from his screen as he tried to finish all the work load given to him. It was probably a blessing in disguise that his boss gave him all the work so he had no excuse to divert his eyes to where the beautiful man was always waiting for his manager. He had heard from whispers that his name was Gun and he worked in a different industry.

The following morning, he exchanged his plain brown blazer with a knitted vest top with his white button down shirt underneath and paired with his brown trousers which he usually matched with his blazer. Along with his round glasses, he looked like he belonged with the monochromatic office, different from his colourful desk, which only made his other colleagues laugh at him. It was his usual day of typing more paperwork and spending hours photocopying whilst everyone took a break and spent lunch without him. It was the usual and he got used to it pretty quickly, pressing the photocopy button and watching the paper print out more copies for their next meeting. It was boring but it was better than trying to spend time with people he had nothing in common with.

‘Hey, are you heading out for lunch?’

He was pretty comfortable just being by himself in the copy room, so he almost jumped out of his own skin when he heard someone from behind. He turned back to check who was talking to him, almost biting his tongue when he saw Gun standing behind, leaning against the wall and smiling.

‘Oh… Hello’, he bowed his head and slid his glasses up, ‘Uhh… What?’

‘Lunch?’, Gun asked again, chuckling at his reaction, ‘Have you had it already?’

‘No’, Off shook his head, ‘I usually eat at my desk’

‘Really? Well how about a change?’

‘What change?’

‘What I’m saying is, do you wanna eat out with me?’

‘With you?’, Off asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck, ‘Is P’White joining?’

‘No, he’s off on a business lunch. Which is why I’m free’

‘Oh’, Off said, but he didn’t know what else to say. As much as he liked the idea of spending time with Gun, he was too nervous to say yes, remembering their first interaction and how he over conversed. He came home thinking that Gun probably thought he was weird.

‘So?’, Gun asked again, tilting his head and waiting for his answer, ‘Do you wanna have lunch with me?’

‘Why?’

‘Why?’, Gun repeated his question with a look of offence.

‘I didn’t mean it like that’, Off tried to save himself before Gun hates him, ‘I just… No one’s ever asked me to have lunch with them’

‘You’re adorable’, Gun whispered under his breath, Off making him smile genuinely for the first time in a while, ‘If you come with me, I’ll treat you’

‘Uh… Okay’, Off gave in, wanting to see Gun smile more because it looked so pretty and sweet. It made him wanna make him smile more even though he didn’t know how to, ‘I know a good place’, he added on, not wanting to burden Gun as he followed behind, turning off the photocopier before he left.

* * *

It was awkward. That was the first thing Off thought when they sat opposite of each other, looking down at the table whilst they waited for their food. He wanted to talk to Gun, but he didn’t know where to begin. He knew by the looks of him they probably had different hobbies and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last time.

‘So, I rewatched Lord of the Rings recently’, Gun pointed out, starting the conversation first, ‘And the extended the edition’

‘Really?’, Off smiled, a hint of glint in his eyes, ‘And did you enjoy it?’

‘Uh… Well I kinda slept halfway through’, Gun sheepishly admitted, combing back his hair and leaning back on his chair.

‘What?’, Off looked at him in shock, ‘How were you not hooked in?’

‘It’s like four hours long’, Gun defended himself, ‘Who can sit there and watch four hours of a movie?’

‘Trust me, when you really focus, you’re going to get sucked in’, Off commented, ‘People always say that Frodo was the hero, but I really think Sam’s the true hero. Oh! And fun fact, the writer of the novels also said the same thing’, Off kept talking on and on until the waiter went over to their table and handed their food and that’s when he realised he’d been talking too much again. He immediately stopped talking, his cheeks turning red as he bowed his head down, ‘Sorry, you probably think I talk to much’

‘No, no’, Gun shook his head, smiling at him, ‘It’s fun listening to you talk. It’s the first time someone wanted to talk about something else other than my job’

‘Your job? What’s your job?’, Off asked, which surprised Gun as he looked blankly at him whilst they ate.

‘You don’t know?’

‘Should I?’

‘No’, Gun laughed, shaking his head, ‘I guess not’

‘So… What do you do?’, Off asked. Gun turned and pointed outside of the window of the restaurant, forcing Off to turn around and see a billboard ad on one of the buildings. It was a photoshoot of Gun for a clothing brand and his lips parted in shock seeing him on an LED screen looking as beautiful as ever, ‘Woah’, he gasped, turning back to look at him, ‘You’re a model?’

‘Yep’, Gun nodded, ‘Everyone asks about how many celebrity friends I have and as much as I love to talk about myself, it gets a little boring’

‘Probably not as boring as talking about Lord of the Rings’, Off commented.

‘No, it seems like you love the movie’, Gun shook his head, ‘If you want, we could watch it together. You can check up on me in case I fall asleep’

‘Oh’, Off was excited about the offer, but his anxiety began to creep up on him again. He didn’t know whether Gun was trying to be nice or if he was genuinely interested in spending more time with him, ‘I mean… If you want’

‘Sweet. That’s a date’

Off immediately spat his drink as soon as Gun said that, only choking when he realised he spat all over Gun.

‘Oh God, I’m sorry’, he gasped, getting up and grabbing a napkin as he carefully wiped his face, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to spit all over you’

Gun didn’t say anything, instead he grabbed the napkin from his hands and wiped the rest of his face himself, biting his lip as he tried not to laugh.

‘I’m sorry’, Off kept on repeating himself, ‘I just didn’t think you’d say that’

‘Say what?’, Gun asked as he turned on his phone to check his face.

‘Uh… Date’, hie stuttered.

‘You don’t wanna go on a date with me?’

‘No’

‘No?’

‘No! I mean, no I didn’t think you’d ask me that’

‘Why not?’

‘Why not?’, Off looked at Gun oddly. He almost wanted to ask the man to look at him and repeat the question. He was awkward with no sense of fashion and he probably wasn’t interesting enough to go on a date with, so it was more of a surprise. In fact, at this point he wondered if he was dreaming and he was in his desk right now, ‘Uh… I thought you were busy’

‘No, I’m actually taking a break for a little while’, Gun mentioned, ‘I’ve been working non stop for a couple of years and I thought I needed a break so I won’t be working too much’

‘Oh, okay’

‘So?’

‘So?’

‘Do you wanna go on a date with me?’, Gun asked again, patient and somewhat confident.

‘I’d love to’

* * *

Off really wanted to call Arm for advice, but he didn’t want a long lecture from him if he found out he was going on a date. It had been a long time since he’s dated anyone and his friends would probably blow it out of proportion. But he really needed fashion advice. Apart from his work clothes, he didn’t have much in his closet.

He opted for a shirt and jeans, but he still looked plain compared to Gun who could make anything look good. He didn’t know how how it ended up like this, but after the fear if nearly offending Gun, he offered his home for their movie date – which probably wasn’t the best option. It was a small crappy apartment with barely any space between the living room and the kitchen as well as only one bathroom inside his bedroom.

Despite the small size, he at least made sure to clean it, throwing away every empty pizza boxes, washing all the clothes that had been on his bedroom floor for weeks and vacuuming the floors at least twice.

He was calm, but then he heard his door knock and he immediately tripped over his own feet as he ran to his front door, quickly checking his reflection in the mirror before opening the door.

‘Hey’, Gun waved at him as soon as he opened the door.

‘Hey’, replied with a bright grin on his face, ‘Come on in. Sorry for the mess by the way’, he quickly mentioned when Gun entered his apartment, wearing a long sleeved Gucci’s sweater and denim shorts.

‘No, it’s very cosy’, Gun commented as he set his bag down on the sofa, looking around his apartment and looking through framed photos of him and his family, a bookshelf of books and more figures from movies and series.

‘I have the 4K DVD set’, Off commented as he rushed to the kitchen, quickly microwaving a bowl of popcorn, ‘I thought maybe watching the extended edition may be throwing you in the deep end, so I thought we should just watch the theatrical release’

‘Sweet’, Gun said, waiting for Off to join him in the living room and turn on the TV. It had only been a couple of days since they first met and even though it was still awkward between them, Gun felt a sense of comfort that he hadn’t felt from his past exes. Off was like a warm campfire, cosy and familiar yet different at the same time. He’d been wanting to get to know him since he first spoke to him. In fact, he wanted to speak to Off since he was the only one who he didn’t feel whispering his name or eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat. He was the first person who didn’t care who he was.

‘Here’, Off handed him a bowl of popcorn, along with a glass of soda. Gun almost found it comical that his first date didn’t consist of overpriced meals and a champagne bottle, but he didn’t care much for them anyway. There was something to admire about the simplicity, just the two of them in plain clothes and a TV screen.

Gun felt sorry for lying but Lord of the Rings was the only thing he knew that would interest Off. He had never watched it, even as a kid, so everything was brand new to him as soon as he saw the TV screen playing the movie, sounds of familiar orchestra playing. He texted White about his employee, but even his old college friend couldn’t give much information since Off was known to be introverted and less talkative compared to the others. It only intrigued him more, made him wonder who this person was and how he could feel so normal around him.

Gun couldn’t even pay attention to the movie, not when he kept on stealing glances on Off, who looked cute from the side, his eyes so intent on the screen, his popcorn almost dropped out of his hands due to his focus, which only made his chuckle under his breath. His thick glasses almost reflected the entire movie on it, sliding down to the tip of his nose. Gun caught him smiling at one point. He’s gonna need a lot of self control if he was going to last through a three hour movie because every time he kept looking at Off, it was like he was getting cuter by every second.

* * *

_**A few days ago** _

‘You’re gonna ask _who_ on a date?’, White snorted when Gun came to his office, asking about one of his workers, ‘Are you that hung up about Joss?’

‘This has got nothing to do with him’, Gun rolled his eyes. He expected everyone to keep asking about him, but it had been three months since they broke up and he was getting sick and tired of his friends and family asking about him, ‘I’m just interested in him’

‘Him?’, White kept laughing, setting down his coffee in case he threw it in a fit of laughter. He stood up to where his window was, opening the blinds slightly to show Gun the entire floor, ‘You’re interested in _him?’,_ he asked in shock as he pointed to the desk at the edge, the pair watching Off folding his post-it-notes in absolute focus, his tongue sticking out as he continued to fold until the small square paper turned into a bird.

White furrowed his brow in judgement at the way Off grinned at his small creation, but Gun on the other hand couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Isn’t he cute?’

‘You’ve officially lost it’,White shook his head, ‘You’ve surrounded yourself by too many beautiful people that you probably can’t tell apart what’s pretty and what’s not anymore’

‘Are you saying he’s ugly?’, Gun turned to look at his old friend in shock.

‘No I’m not’, White shook his head in defence, ‘But he’s not your type’

‘And what is my type?’

‘Joss Wayer!’, White shouted his ex boyfriend’s name, ‘Someone who’s fit and rich! Someone who makes the whole room shine and begs for everyone’s attention!’

‘That’s not a type’, Gun snorted, crossing his arm, ‘I want someone who actually cares about me’

‘Joss cared about you’

‘I’m not talking about taking care of me. I can take care of myself’, Gun rolled his eyes, remembering the times he was often infantilised my his own boyfriend, being spoken down to in condescending manner, thoughts of always being dependent on everyone. It drove him mad, ‘I want someone to listen to me and take interest in things that I have to say without being condescending’

‘You’re not gonna get that from here’, White murmured, ‘Trust me, this place is filled with broken dreams and a lot of people who gave up’

‘You work here’

‘Precisely’, White pointed at Gun, ‘Do you really think I wanted to spend my life in an office dealing with small companies and their tax returns and expenditures? Do you really think people wanna be here?’

‘What’s that got to do with Off though?’, Gun asked, turning back to look at him, this time he was finally working, typing fast on his keyboard as he slid his glasses back up.

‘He’s not one to be able to handle someone like you. You’re what everyone wants to be, someone who’s actually doing something that they love for a living and being paid millions for it. Whilst he’s someone who’s probably just getting by without much thought of dreams or anything like that. You two will clash before you know it’

‘You’d never know’, Gun whispered, still staring at Off before his friend closed the blinds, blocking him away from the adorable office worker.

* * *

‘Oh! Now this is the part when they go to Rivendell which is the home of the Elves. We don’t get to see much of Rivendell in the other movies’, Gun kept hearing Off’s comments through out the movies. He usually hated people talking through films, but he couldn’t help but find Off’s passion adorable. He loved jus listening to him talk even if he himself didn’t care how the movie was filmed.

It was nearing midnight and the movie was still playing. Gun yawned a little, checking his phone or the time but seeing a bunch of messages instead, some from his manager, others from his friends wondering why he hadn’t joined them in the club yet. He ignored them all, throwing his phone at the edge of the sofa and sliding nearer next to Off, resting his head softly on his shoulder as he closed his eyes for a couple of seconds.

‘Uh… You okay?’, Off asked him.

‘Yeah, just a little tired’, Gun whispered, ‘But don’t worry, I’m still paying attention’

‘You don’t have to’, Off replied, ‘I can turn it off’

‘And then what?’

‘What?’

‘What happens after you turn it off?’, Gun asked as he looked up, resting his chin on Off’s shoulders.

‘Uhh… You can… You can go home?’

‘It’s midnight’, Gun chuckled, his arms slowly making it’s way around Off’s waist, ‘You’re really gonna force me to go home in the middle of the night?’

‘No, of course not’, Off shook his head, ‘Uhh… You can use my room’

Gun only laughed at him, nuzzling his head on Off’s neck. He could smell his perfume, subtle yet sweet.

Off should’ve asked Arm for advice, he should’ve left his pride on the shelf and begged his friends for help because right now he didn’t know what to do. Of course, he’s been on dates countless of times, but most of them were unsuccessful, never leading into second dates let alone a night where he might be actually be getting laid. In fact, he can’t even remember the last time he hooked up with someone.

And this was Gun Atthaphan. Even if he didn’t know him, everyone else seemed to, so for the life of him if he fucked up tonight his life will be over.

He felt Gun leaning in, placing a kiss on his lips and he froze a little, his hands raised and confused as to where to lay them on. His heart was beating fast the longer Gun kissed him, their lips crushing against each other, Gun’s hands resting against his chest, pushing him down till his back was on the sofa, Gun sitting on top of him.

Off was in silent pleasure, not knowing what to do with the growing heat on his cheeks, his skin burning red as he slowly rested his hand on Gun’s back.

‘You okay?’, Gun asked, breaking the kiss when he felt Off’s lack of reciprocation in the kiss.

‘Yeah’, Off nodded, stuttering a little as he coughed, ‘I… Well…’

‘Do you not like it?’, Gun asked nervously, about to get off when Off snaked his arms around his waist, pulling him back in until their faces were only inches apart. His glasses was in the way, but he didn’t care as he leaned in and kissed Gun again, this time with more courage now that Gun was expecting a lot from him.

Gun chuckled a little, combing his fingers through Off’s hair, the pair abandoning the movie playing on the screen as they indulged on each other instead.

_Holy shit._

Off didn’t know whether it was because he hadn’t been getting any action in months or maybe Gun was just too good but he found himself holding his breath when Gun started grinding on him. He bit his lip, trying to keep himself calm as the friction continued. It didn’t help when Gun decided to have some fun, biting on his neck and sneaking his hands under his shirt, his warm fingertips grazing patterns all over his stomach, making him hard.

_Shit, shit, shit. Keep it together Off. Keep it together. Don’t you dare—_

‘Shit’, Off moaned out as soon as he felt Gun’s hand stroking his hard cock over his clothes, sending him to a frenzy and before he knew it, he felt something wet.

_Shit._

Off pushed Gun away from him, standing from the sofa and running straight to his bathroom.

‘Off?’, Gun shouted after him, a little confused with his sudden retreat, ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah! One second!’, Off shouted nervously, slamming the door shut and looking down at his pants and seeing a huge wet stain, ‘Shit, shit, shit!’

This was too fucking embarrassing. Did he just come? This early? No way. No fucking way.

‘Off?’, he heard knocking on the door and he nervously looked around, grabbing a towel from the shelf and damping it with cold water, wiping on his pants in hopes to get rid of it, ‘You okay in there?’

‘I’m fine’, Off replied, although his voice was shaking, too embarrassed to even think about it. What would Gun think if he found out? He’d probably laugh straight at his face and leave his apartment. What if he told his friends? He was gonna be known as the idiot who came too early.

Off must be an idiot because he only managed to make the stain look worse as he looked down. He opted to grab a bigger towel, wrapping it around his waist and hiding his stained pants as he opened the door to where Gun was standing, waiting for him.

‘What was that?’, Gun asked, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for Off to answer.

‘What do you mean?’, Off decided to feign ignorance, shrugging his shoulders as he tried to act cool, which was hard with a towel around his fucking waist, ‘I just needed to go to the bathroom?’

‘You know if you really don’t like me just say it, because I really don’t wanna waste my time’, Gun replied with a disappointed look on his face, ‘Actually, I think I better go if you don’t want me here’

‘What? No!’, Off shouted, grabbing onto his wrist to stop him from leaving, ‘No, I like you! Why would you think I don’t?’

‘You just ran off whilst we were making out’, Gun glared at him.

‘That doesn’t mean I don’t like you’

‘Why else would you run out? Look I don’t know what you expect from me but I have some self-respect. I’m not gonna make out with someone who clearly doesn’t like me—’

‘I came!’, Off shouted back when he saw the growing frustration in Gun’s eyes, not wanting to make him angry anymore.

‘Excuse me?’

‘I… I… Look this doesn’t usually happen, I promise but I just… You were…’

Gun immediately looked down at the towel around his waist and pieced it together, his frown turning into amusement as he bit his lip and started laughing. Off’s cheeks burnt red just at the thought and he was expecting the worse.

‘Oh my God’, Gun breathed out in between his laugh, leaning back on the wall as he clutched on his stomach.

‘I’m sorry’, Off sighed, closing his eyes and tugging his hair, ‘I really didn’t mean to. I really like you and I don’t want you to think I’m weird or anything but if you wanna leave I could drop you off?’

‘Why the fuck are you so adorable?’, Gun asked when he finished laughing, just staring at Off and looking at his round eyes behind his glasses.

‘Huh?’

‘You know what, I’m hungry. Why don’t you make me something to eat to make up for it?’, Gun swept the situation under the rug so nonchalantly, Off wondered if he was daydreaming. Surely someone like Gun expected action tonight, but instead the model walked back to the living room, sitting on the sofa and pressing play, letting the film continue to run.

‘Uh… What do you like?’, he asked.

‘Some noodles would be nice’, Gun replied, turning back and giggling at him, ‘Although you would probably get changed first’, he pointed down and Off realised he was still in his cum stained pants and he quickly raced his way back in his room, slamming the door and banging his head against the wall as he continued to hear Gun laughing from across the hall.

* * *

‘Hey, make sure you bring Gun with you the next time we hang out’, Tay shouted as the group of friends exited the bar. Off heard his friends laugh at him whilst they walk off to their own taxis, separating after finishing the night. He rolled his eyes and wanted to curse them out, but instead he kept quiet, looking down at his phone and smiling when he saw a message.

**_Gun: are you still with your friends?_ **

Even though Off woke up in his bed with Gun sleeping beside him, head resting on his chest, he still couldn’t believe the way Gun nodded when he asked for a second date.

**_I’m heading home now._ **

**_Gun: come pick me up first. I wanna spend the night with you._ **

Off could barely open his door. How could he when Gun had his arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him as soon as they made it to his apartment.

‘You’re not gonna leave me hanging like last time right?’, Gun whispered, giggling when Off finally opened his door, the two of them tripping inside as Off tugged at Gun’s clothes, slamming the door shut with his foot.

Off rolled his eyes whenever Gun brought it up, pulling his shirt till it was off him, discarded on the floor as he picked Gun up, letting his legs wrap around his waist once they made it to his bedroom. There wasn’t much talking between them, Off found himself a little frustrated at the way his friends laughed at him when he told him he was finally dating again. He didn’t know if it was serious, but he couldn’t help but start to feel infatuation over the model who suddenly rushed into his life.

He took out all his frustration on Gun, leaving purple marks all over his body until there was nothing left but the feeling of aching sensation the next morning, his glasses discarded on the floor along with their clothes.

* * *

‘You and Off? Are you fucking serious?’

‘I told you I was gonna ask him out’, Gun turned to White who kept on laughing at him.

‘Are you sure you’re not trying to get back at Joss?’, White pointed out whilst they shared a drink at the café during lunch hours, ‘I heard he’s dating another model’

‘I don’t give two shits about him anymore’, Gun sighed when he mentioned his ex.

‘Then are you using him as your safety net?’, White asked with curiosity, raising a brow at him as they continued to drink their coffee.

‘What d’you mean?’

‘He’s an accountant and let’s be honest, his looks are barely average’, White pointed out, ‘You’re way out of his league and you’re pretty sure he knows that too’

‘And?’

‘So you’re sure he’s not gonna hurt you’, White accused him, a playful smirk on his face, ‘You’re punching below your belt because you know guys like him aren’t going to find someone better than you so they have no choice but to treat you nice’

‘You’re insane’, Gun snorted as soon as White finished, kicking his leg under the table, ‘Why would I do that?’

‘Because you’re looking for a rebound’, White continued to laugh at him, ‘God, Gun I know you too well’

‘So what if I’m looking for a rebound?’, Gun muttered under his breath, ‘Plus, he’s actually quite nice’

‘Keep telling yourself that’, White patted his shoulder, ‘You know what, you do you. Just break his heart softly. He’s my best employee and I don’t want your break up to ruin his productivity’

* * *

Tay and Arm looked at their friend from across the table with a raised brow, then looked down at the text message he just sent to them.

‘Don’t you think this joke’s going too far?’, Tay asked when he read the invite again, ‘Do you honestly expect us to turn up to a Vogue after party? Do you want us to look like idiots?’

‘You should be thanking me’, Off replied, sliding his glasses up and drinking his juice, ‘I persuaded Gun to get two extra slots for the invitation list cos I know the two of you are fashion freaks’

‘You’re insane’, Arm began to laugh at him as soon as he mentioned the top model again, shaking his head as he put his phone away, ‘If you’re gonna continue to pretend, at least use a celebrity who’s single’

‘What do you mean?’, Off asked, furrowing his brow when his best friends continued to look at him like he was crazy.

‘Joss is coming to the party apparently’, Tay smirked, ‘That’s his boyfriend’

‘What?’

‘Well, ex boyfriend at the moment’, Arm added on, ‘But we all know they’re gonna get back together’

‘How do you know?’, Off asked.

‘It’s all over his instagram. He kept on leaving subtle captions and we all know who it’s aimed for’, Arm smirked at the least bit, handing Off his phone and showing him the man’s social media account. It would’ve been a lie if Off said he suddenly wasn’t nervous. Joss looked just like every other model, handsome and fucking fit. There were endless photos of him travelling around the world, in shoots and hanging out with A-list celebrities, it only widened the gap between his world and Gun’s. So this was Gun’s life? If it was, then it clearly didn’t match his, not by a long shot.

**_josswyr: leaving everything behind for you._ **

Off read through the captions, scrolling down until he was a year in his instagram, finally seeing Gun plastered all over his feed. He saw the way Gun smiled, the way they held onto each other.

He locked Arm’s phone, staring at the black screen in front of him and immediately seeing his reflection. His hair was long and all over the place, his eyes were hidden behind thick round glasses which kept sliding off and his body wasn’t near as perfect as Joss. He passed the phone back to his friend, keeping to himself for the rest of the night as he opted for his non alcoholic drinks compared to his friends’ row of beers.

Tay and Arm stopped making fun of him, but they still didn’t believe him which only lowered his mood as he stared down at his phone, looking at Gun’s number. Before he contemplated to call him, his phone had already started ringing, showing his name on the screen.

‘Hello?’, he immediately picked up.

‘Hey’, he heard Gun’s voice, ‘Where are you?’

‘I’m still at the bar with friends’, Off answered truthfully.

‘Oh. So when are you gonna head home?’

‘I don’t know’

…

‘Can I join?’, Gun suddenly asked, which Off didn’t expect. They’ve only been meeting up in his apartment and he concluded there was probably a difference between dating a normal person and a celebrity and it didn’t take him long to accept that. He didn’t mind only seeing Gun in his apartment, he liked the idea of cooking for him, spending the night in their pyjamas and watching movies before calling it a night.

‘If you want’, Off replied, stealing a glance to his two friends and wondering if they were ready to meet Gun. But then a little bit of his pride started glowing just imagining the looks on their faces once Gun arrived. He smirked a little, giving Gun the address of the bar.

Off listened to his friends talk more nonsense, something about drama in their work life and a few more drama in their family life before he spotted someone walking towards them, wearing a mask but he recognised his eyes. He smiled to himself, sliding his glasses up and standing up.

‘You’re here’, Off replied, pulling Gun into a hug before guiding him to the seat beside his. Tay and Arm suddenly stopped talking, looking up at the short man in Gucci.

‘Who’s this?’, Tay asked, pointing at he man who nonchalantly joined them, Off passing his drink to him.

‘My boyfriend’, Off said, ‘I told you guys I was dating someone’

‘Oh right’, Tay snorted a little, looking at the man up and down, ‘Well, he’s no Gun Atthaphan’

‘Actually, I am’, Gun pulled down his mask, finally showing his face and making both of them choke on their drinks, Arm practically spitting his whole drink on Tay. Their jaws dropped to the floor, silence as they stared at Gun – _the_ Gun Atthaphan who looked so relax beside Off.

‘I thought you were fucking joking’, Tay turned to glare at his best friend.

‘I told you I wasn’t’, Off pointed back out. He felt great delight in seeing his friends choke, especially when he reached out and held Gun’s hands.

‘Wow’, Arm whispered, leaning back on his chair and staring at his best friend, ‘So how did this happen?’

‘Babe, I thought you already told them about us?’, Gun pointed, confused as to why Off’s friends were acting like this was the first time they’ve heard of them.

‘I did, but they didn’t believe me’, Off replied. Gun laughed at him, leaning his head against his shoulder, which only made Tay’s eyeballs almost shot out of his sockets. He mouthed _‘what the fuck’_ as he looked at Off, trying to get more answers out of him.

‘He’s friends with my manager’, Off repeated the story he told them a few days ago, ‘That’s how we met’

‘Shit’, Arm kept on whispering, this time realising something different, ‘Does that mean the Vogue party exists?’

‘Oh, you don’t wanna go?’, Gun asked, ‘Off made it sound like the two of you would’ve loved to come, but I’ll cancel if you want’

‘NO!’, Tay and Arm both screamed at him, making him flinch as he tightened his hold on Off, a little surprise at how loud they were when they’ve been so quiet lately.

‘I mean… We’d love to come’, Arm coughed a little, shaking his leg, excited at the idea that he was invited to an exclusive party. With the initial shock gone, all Tay and Arm could do is smile like idiots, giving each other looks before snorting their laughters in, kicking Off’s leg under the table every time Gun leaned in closer to him or held onto his hands.

Off was going to spend the rest of the week at the butt of all their jokes.

* * *

‘You do know he’s only fucking you for fun’, Arm whispered, the three of them shopping for the party. Tay was in the changing room, taking his sweet time trying on every clothes in the shop whilst the other Walked around the store.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m talking about your boyfriend’, Arm continued, pulling out a leather jacket and trying it on in front of the mirror. Arm was wearing a ripped oversized sweater tucked under his jeans whereas Off was still practically in his work clothes, white button down shirt tucked under his knitwear vest with brown trousers and his round glasses. He didn’t find any purpose in shopping and was only forced by his two friends who persuaded him to at least and try and look decent for the party.

‘About him?’

‘Gun doesn’t actually like you’, Arm pointed out, rather blunt as Off raised a brow at him.

‘Really nice’, Off faked a smile and sarcastically replied as he walked to the other aisle, ‘Aren’t you supposed to be supportive?’

‘I’m trying to look out for you’, Arm confessed, ‘I know it may look nice, but if you think about it, you’re probably around a five or a six and Gun’s way above a ten’

‘Are you rating us?’, Off sighed, ‘What are we? Teenagers?’

‘Look, it doesn’t matter, let’s keep it real, no one above a ten is gonna go out with a five’, Arm pointed at him with a judgemental glare.

‘How am I a five?’, Off asked, to which Arm just pointed at all of him, starting from his hair all the way down his shoes.

‘You wear a knit vest outside of work and your hair is all over the place. Plus, have you never heard of contact lenses?’

‘They make me uncomfortable and you know it takes me an hour just to put them on’, Off defended himself. He looked down on his clothes, not knowing what was wrong with it. He looked professional and yes, he may not have enough clothes outside his work outfit, but he found no pleasure in buying more clothes than he needed.

‘Everyone’s going to know you’re just his accessory if you turn up to a Vogue party looking like that’, Arm pointed out, ‘So at least try and fit in before Gun ditches you for his other boyfriend’

‘I think I look okay’, Off replied, looking at himself in the mirror, ‘What’s wrong with it’

‘Everything’, Arm sighed, pulling out a few shirt and jeans along with a cardigan, pulling Off by the shirt as he dragged him to the changing room, ‘My friend may be getting humiliated this weekend, but you should at least have a good time cos this will be the only cool party you’ll ever be invited in’

‘I need new friends’, Off sighed, but he let Arm drag him, pushing him in on of the changing room and forcing him to try on his clothes. He hated it all, the jeans were too tight, the shirt wasn’t warm enough and his glasses were always in the way whenever he took the shirt off, always falling or tilting to the side.

He knew his friends were blunt and rude most of the time, but he couldn’t help but think about what Arm said. He’d seen Joss’s instagram and he’d heard enough rumours about Gun so he couldn’t help but wonder if it was true. Was Gun just having some fun? But then again, they haven’t discussed their relationship properly, all they’ve been doing is dating and Off was scared that it was too soon and he might scare Gun away.

He looked at himself as he finished changing, seeing him in high waisted jeans, shirt tucked in with an oversized cardigan. Does this look better? He couldn’t even tell.

‘You okay in there Off?’, Arm asked, making him turn and open the curtains to show his outfit to his friends. Tay had joined them, wearing something chic, all black with his hair gelled up.

‘Damn, now that’s much better’, Tay looked up from his phone and smiling, ‘No more knit vest!’

‘But I really like my knit vest…’, Off murmured, but he was ignored when Arm clapped his hands and patted his shoulders.

‘Now we need to do something about that hair’

‘What about my hair?’, Off asked, combing through his hair.

‘It’s too long. It looks like you have a mullet behind there’, Tay joked, laughing as Arm started to comb through it too, ‘If you wanna fight to the death with Joss, at least look like you have a shot’

‘What is it with you guys and Joss?’, Off sighed, hearing his name once more, ‘They’ve broken up already!’

‘How comes we know more about your boyfriend than you do?’, Tay chuckled, shaking his head at Off’s reaction, ‘Gun and Joss is the It couple. They’re the Hyun Bin and Ye Jin, everyone fucking loves them’

‘So what?’

‘Off, take yourself seriously because you’re dating the most sought after person in the country. Don’t make a fool out of yourself’, Arm sighed when Off refused to realise the seriousness of the situation, ‘Now let’s go to the hair salon and get you ready for the weekend’

* * *

Gun sat on his make-up chair, preparing for his photoshoot as he looked down on his phone. He waited for Off to reply to him but he wondered why he was taking so long.

‘Hey Gun, guess who’s here’, his make-up artist whispered, the pair turning their heads and seeing Joss walk in on set, carrying a box of coffee and handing it to the team. Gun rolled his eyes and sighed, wondering why he was here.

‘I told him to stop visiting me’, Gun whined.

‘He’s just trying to win you back’, his make-up artist squealed at the way Joss spoke to the team, his smile so handsome and sweet, she was jealous of Gun, ‘Why don’t you just take him back’

‘I don’t want to’, Gun whispered, ‘I’m on to better things now’

‘Who could be better than Joss Wayer’, she sighed, finishing his looks as she playfully patted his arm. Gun shook his head as he continued to watch Joss on set, disbelief that he would come back all of a sudden after they had talked all night a few months ago about their relationship. It had become more for show and they both knew they didn’t love each other anymore. Joss only stayed because everyone wanted him to and Gun just didn’t like the idea of change.

‘Hey’, Joss finally made his way to Gun who stayed sitting down, looking him up and down as he grabbed his coffee and took a sip.

‘What do you want?’, Gun asked, straight to the point and with no greeting. Despite their years together, Gun had slowly lost patience with Joss, so whenever he came back, his bitterness only grew, ‘You’re making a scene’

‘I just wanted to see you’, Joss replied with a smirk on his face, leaning on the table, ‘I heard you were going to the Vogue party too’

‘Of course, I would’, Gun smiled back, ‘It’s not a party without me’

Joss laughed at his confidence, eyeing him up and down with a playful grin on his face.

‘You know I couldn’t stop thinking of you when I found out you came back to Bangkok’

‘Oh, really?’

‘Yeah’, Joss nodded, ‘So I was wondering if you wanna… You know’

‘Know what?’

‘Do you wanna come with me to the party?’, he asked, and his playful smile and sultry voice would’ve melted him in submission a few months ago, but he found himself slowly escaping from his spell to the point where he smiled back, shaking his head.

‘No thanks’, Gun stood up, straightening his clothes as he headed towards the set, ‘I have a date’

‘A date?’, Joss’s smile instantly disappeared, replaced by confused glances as he ran after Gun, ‘What do you mean date? Who’s taking you? Is it Lee? Or Mond?’

‘It’s no one you know’, Gun continued to walk away, ‘He doesn’t work in the industry’, he was glad he could say that to Joss. Two models in one city, they knew everyone and everyone knew them. They shared mutual friends and it won’t be long till Joss found out if he ever dated anyone in the industry, so the fact that Joss was left in the dark whilst Off was his own little secret felt fucking good.

* * *

‘What the hell did you do to my hair’, Off whined as soon as his chair was spun, facing the mirror to see his hair cut short, the shortest it’s ever been. He could feel the air from the back of his neck and it was fucking weird, ‘Did you shave the sides of my hair?!’

‘It’s called an undercut’, Tay explained, laughing at his friend’s reaction as he slowly touched his hair, ‘And we also dyed it an auburn colour.

‘Ginger’, Off whined, ‘You dyed my hair ginger!’

‘Look, it’s light now but trust me in a couple of days it will darken up’, Arm chipped in as he tried to calm Off down, ‘You look awesome! This is called high fashion’

‘It’s called unnecessary’, Off whined as he took off the robe wrapped around him, folding it nicely before handing it to the hairdresser, ‘I can’t go to work like this!’

‘We can always dye it back to black after the party, but right now the main goal is for you to stand out’, Tay pointed out, forcing Off to look at the mirror again, his hands pressing against his cheeks until he was pouting, ‘You need to look fucking perfect’

‘Why?’

‘Because you’re dating perfection himself’, Tay whispered, ‘You don’t wanna embarrassed Gun, do you?’

Off remembered how much he rambled on about Lord of the Rings the first time he spoke to Gun, his cheeks burnin red just at the thought of it and he realised his friends had a point. In front of Gun’s friends and coworkers, he would definitely be perceived as a weirdo, so he might as well blend in. He wanted to impress Gun.

‘Fine’, Off gave in and stood up from his chair, ‘But I’m dyeing it back to black after the party’

‘Good boy’, Tay and Arm laughed, patting his back as the three friends walked out of the salon, the other two too excited after the party to notice the long face Off was pulling the more he thought about it.

* * *

‘Gun has a boyfriend’

‘Joss?’

‘No, he’s dating someone new’

‘What?’

‘Who?’

‘Which model?’

‘He isn’t a model’

‘Who is he?’

‘We don’t know’

The whole party had jus begun yet Gun’s name was already in everyone’s mouth, dripping out along with countless of stories passed around after the team overheard him rejecting Joss’s offer on a date. The whole industry knew their relationship and no matter how many times they’ve said they’ve broken it off, they knew Gun would always come back to Joss. They were the royal couple, they’ve shared multiple endorsements with each other and their most iconic shoots were together. They were a package that needed to be together. So when they heard that Gun was taking someone else, the whole industry broke lose.

‘Whoever his new boyfriend is, he has to be fucking hot’

‘No way. No one could beat Joss’

Gun rolled his eyes as he heard their conversation, hiding in the toilet and looking down on his phone. Off hadn’t been replying to his messages all day and he wondered if the boy was even going to turn up. He was nervous, more so now that everyone was waiting for him and his boyfriend.

He suddenly didn’t want Off to come. Just the thought of his friends and colleagues looking at Off and looking back at Joss made him anxious. What if they thought he’d given up and fallen for any other ordinary man? He would look desperate.

Gun flinched as soon as he felt his phone ringing, looking down to read Off’s name.

‘Hello?’, he nervously picked up the phone, hoping the boy had an excuse to miss the party.

‘Hey, I’m at the front. Should I just come in?’

‘Oh’, Gun sighed, biting his lip as he looked out from the door to see more guests flooding inside the venue, ‘No, I guess I’ll pick you up’

Gun looked at himself in the mirror, seeing his make-up which glowed, his designer outfit and a wave of guilt started to hit him when he realised just exactly what he was thinking. He shook his head and tried not to think too much of it as he walked out of the bathroom, sneaking to the front of the club, trying to look for Off in the midst of the crowd.

He felt the flashes of cameras directed towards him once the paps spotted him at the front, but he learnt how to ignore it, shifting his eyes until it landed on a tall man at the bottom of the steps. He was wearing a three piece suit, perfectly fitted and quite expensive but what made Gun laugh was his hair style.

‘What the hell?’, he laughed as soon as he raced down the steps, facing Off who nervously looked down, a little shy with his new look, ‘Tell me, who did this to you?’

‘What, you don’t like it?’, someone interrupted them and Gun saw Off’s friends walking over to them, in their own flashy clothes, leaning their arms on his shoulder, ‘I think he looks sexy’

‘You said the hair was gonna turn darker’, Off whispered to Tay, which only made Gun laugh as he saw his bright red hair. It was like flames on top of his head.

‘Look, the hairdresser used a different dye from the usual one that I use’, Tay defended himself, ‘I didn’t know this was gonna happen’

‘Don’t worry. It looks… Cool’, Gun managed to say, but the way he stuttered didn’t help as Off closed his eyes, hiding his face behind his hands which only made him look cuter. Gun suddenly didn’t care about what everyone else had been whispering, all he knew was that Off couldn’t stop making him laugh.

‘Come on’, Gun shrugged and took Off by the hand, ‘Let’s go up, we don’t wanna miss the party’

* * *

‘Is that Gun’s boyfriend?’

‘That’s the new boyfriend?’

‘What’s up with his hair?’

‘I’m gonna kill you’, Off hissed at his friends as they stood near the open bar, holding a cocktail in their hands and listening to the people whispering around them. They didn’t so much as whisper, more like shout to the whole world who they were talking about and by the stolen glances towards their direction, they were clearly talking about them.

‘I told you, I didn’t check the dye’, Tay whispered back, also noticing the way people stared, ‘But you really don’t look that bad’

‘He looks fine’, Arm said, ‘But compared to Joss… Damn he looks like trash’

The three boys turned their head towards the middle of the dance floor where they saw Joss dancing with a group of people, his dark hair swept to the side, showing off his handsome face.

‘Gee, thanks guys’, Off sighed as he downed his cocktail, nervously fanning himself as the night went on. He let Gun separate from him for a bit, talking to his friends and colleagues before returning to introduce him, dragging him to the middle of the dance floor.

‘This is Off’, Gun finally took the time to introduce him, ‘He’s my date tonight’

‘Oh, that’s nice’, his friends replied.

‘So, what do you do?’, one of them asked, looking at him up and down.

‘I’m an accountant’

‘For what company?’

‘For a paper company’, Off explained and the smiles slowly disappeared the further he went on explaining his office job.

‘What’s a paper company?’

‘Well it’s an company which distributes paper to different companies. I work on the accounting side and help the financial balance of the company and our clients’

‘Oh… Right’, their smiles turned into fake ones and they slowly turned to look at Gun, as if asking him where he found him.

‘It’s the company that White works in’, Gun explained, which was followed by nods but it didn’t change their expression when they turned back to look at Off.

‘So, is this your first time at Vogue?’

‘Well it’s my first time at any party really’, Off smiled, sliding his glasses up and sipping his drink, ‘I haven’t been to much’

‘How… surprising’, they all murmur, although there was sarcasm in their voice that even Off noticed. He tried to smile it off, resting his arm around Gun’s waist as he nodded at their jokes and kept quiet for the rest of the night. He hated Tay and Arm for ditching him in the middle as they ran off on their own device. He wished he had someone to save him from all this talking, it was starting to tire him and before he knew it, even smiling was tiring.

‘Hey Gun, I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quick’, he whispered before separating, breaking off from the crowd as he found himself in the men’s bathroom, locking himself in one of the cubicles and taking a few minutes.

‘Did you see his new boyfriend?’

‘Yeah… What’s his name again?’

‘I have no idea’

‘God, I wonder where they met’

‘I heard he works for some paper company’

‘A what?’

Off heard people talking in the bathroom, laughing as they made fun out of Gun and him as he stayed locked up in the cubicle, looking down at his hands and feeling a weight suddenly being pressed down on him. He tugged at his hair, wondering why he even bothered when he knew everyone was going to snicker at him anyway. It made him look more desperate. When he heard the people leave, he saw loyal unlocked the door, walking over to the sinks where the mirror was. He stared at his reflection and he found nothing to admire. He ruffled his hair, getting rid of the gel which locked his hair into place, letting it become messy. He wiped the make up off his face, the ends of his sleeves getting wet when he turned on the sink, letting his acne scars and dark circles show as he took off his glasses and washed every bit of foundation Arm forced him to put on.

He wiped his face with tissue, sliding his glasses back up and staring at himself. He still looked different, but he was more himself. He closed his eyes and breathed in before walking out of the bathroom, rushing back to the crowd to tell Gun he was leaving.

‘Ow!’, with the sudden rush, he didn’t notice someone walking towards him, the pair bumping into each other.

‘I’m so sorry’, he bowed his head as soon as he saw her, a young woman in an evening gown, ‘I didn’t see you’

‘No, it’s fine’, she shook her head, looking down at her dress and checking if anything for split, thankfully she still had her drink in her hand. She looked up to see who was the person she bumped into, not recognising him but also recognising. He doesn’t look like he belonged here and she only knew one person who’s been on everyone’s mind as a lone wolf.

‘Are you Gun’s date?’, she asked, pointing at him which surprised Off as he nodded.

‘How do you know?’

‘That red hair is the talk of town’, she chuckled, smiling at him but unlike everyone else, there was no scoff in her expression, nor a frail of judgement, so he smiled back.

‘My friends recommended me to make an effort tonight’, Off said, laughing at himself as well, ‘I guess I went a little overboard’

‘Nothing is overboard in the fashion industry’, she shook her head and stopped him from being anxious as she stretched her hand out, ‘I’m Aom by the way’

‘Hi’, he smiled, shaking her hand eagerly, ‘I’m Off’

‘Do you know who I am?’

‘Am I supposed to?’, he asked nervously, ‘I… I’m not really caught up with the trends so I’m sorry if I don’t recognise you’

‘No, it’s okay’, she chuckled. Despite his nervous stares, she found him slightly adorable. His cluelessness and nativity whilst being in the biggest exclusive party of the year made the irony hilarious, ‘Do you wanna go back to the bar and get some more drinks?’

‘Uh…’, Off looked down on his watch and remembered that he wanted to leave, but the woman was so nice to him, he found it hard to define her offer, so he nodded his head, following her back to the open bar, hearing the music get louder the closer they were to the dance floor. Whilst she spoke to the bartender, he quickly pulled out his phone, typing her name and looking through the internet until he saw a photo of her.

_Another model._

He tried not to be nervous around her, ignoring everyone else who approached to greet her as she handed him another cocktail.

‘So, do you want me to help you sneak out of this party or are you waiting for Gun?’, she asked, observing the way Off awkwardly played with the ends of his sleeves, his eyes never once averting up and looking at the dance floor in awe unlike everyone else. It was refreshing to find someone who didn’t give a shit about the famous celebrities and loud music.

‘Uh… I was gonna tell Gun before I leave, but I can’t seem to find him’, Off admitted, looking down at his drink, which was still untouched.

‘Gun always finds the good ones, doesn’t he?’, Aom couldn’t help but snicker to herself, resting the rim of her glass around her lips. She’s worked with Gun a few times, they’re not friends, but they’re not enemies either, so they didn’t need to spend too much time thinking about each other. He wasn’t a threat to her, but she did find him annoying from time to time, the boy with the well known relationship that everyone fanned over. There was nothing cute about his so called relationship with Joss, it felt like business but at least Joss was one of the nicer ones. She’s had her fair share of dick boyfriends so if she were to fake a relationship for that long, she would’ve picked Joss too. And now here he was, with a man who looked innocently adorable and cute. She could tell he was probably sweet too, with the way he barely looked at others but kept to himself, respecting people’s space and finding his own even in the most crowded places.

‘Uh, it was nice meeting you P’Aom, but I think I should probably go’, Off replied after spending a few more minutes with her, ‘I hope you have a good night’

‘You too’, Aom nodded and smiled at him, reaching out to hold onto his wrist, ‘And if you’re looking for Gun, then he’s over there’, she pointed to the side where the round VIP seatings were. Off squinted his eyes and there he was, Gun Atthaphan, his date, talking to someone else.

‘They have a lot of history together, so it was expected that they were bound to talk’, Aom warned Off, noticing the way his eyes fell down and his smile faded, ‘But don’t worry. If Gun wanted to hook up with Joss, he would never have invited you tonight’

‘I think I should just call it a night’, Off sighed, ‘Could you tell Gun that I’m taking a taxi home?’

‘Uh… sure’, Aom nodded, contemplating whether to let him go or persuade him to stay for a couple more minutes until Gun finished his conversation. But then again, they weren’t friends, so Aom didn’t owe Gun any favours, so he let go of his wrist, watching as he slipped though the crowd, disappearing in seconds until Aom was left alone. She sighed and finished her drink, ordering another one as she continued to stare at Gun and Joss.

* * *

‘Who the hell is he?’, Joss laughed as soon as Gun joined their seat.

‘My date’

‘Yeah I know that, but where did you find him?’, he snorted, pouring himself a drink. He was nervous about tonight, especially since everyone was already talking about Gun and his date, but as soon as he saw him beside Gun, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud with his friends, pointing at the tall man with fiery red hair and thick round glasses.

‘Look, I only came here cos my agent told me it was a good idea to have a few photos of us together to keep the rumours at bay’, Gun hissed at him, ‘But I won’t tolerate you badmouthing my date’

‘You should’ve picked someone better if you’re going to try and make me jealous’, Joss kept on snickering, ignoring Gun’s warnings.

‘You’re a dick’, Gun shook his head, finding nothing appealing about Joss anymore, ‘I’m gonna go’

‘Oh come on, I was only joking’, Joss chuckled, trying to make him stay, but Gun had enough. He’d been separated from Off long enough and he stood, trying to make his way to the other side.

‘Gun’, someone else called out to him, making him turn and seeing Aom approaching him. He smiled at her and bowed his head.

‘Aom, what’s up?’, he asked.

‘That Off guy said he was tired’, she mentioned, ‘He told me he was going home’

‘What? Since when?’, Gun asked, shocked that Aom was the one telling him. He checked his phone but he didn’t get any messages from the man, ‘Did you see him leave?’

‘Yep, like five minutes ago’, Aom replied, ‘He probably got a taxi right now’

‘Dammit’, Gun whined, picking up his phone and calling Off’s number as he rushed out of the venue, pushing pass the crowd until he made it to the front entrance, feeling the cold rush of air and looking around the busy roads of cars and taxis. He had his phone pressed against his cheeks and he waited for Off to pick up, hoping that he was still around.

‘Hello?’

‘Off?’, Gun sighed, ‘Off, where are you?’

‘Sorry, I didn’t feel well so I thought I should leave early’

‘And leave your date behind?’, Gun replied, walking around the street, still in search of him, ‘You should’ve told me so that we could leave together’

‘You just arrived. You should stay longer’

‘I don’t want to’, he said, ‘Not without you’

There was a silence between them and Gun wondered if Off had hung up on him.

‘Truthfully, I didn’t wanna stay’, Off finally broke the silence, ‘I hated it in there’

‘I’m sorry’

‘No, it’s not your fault’, Off sighed, ‘I just don’t belong there’

‘Trust me, no one does’, Gun chuckled, leaning on the brick wall, sliding his hands in his pockets as he he lowered his head down, trying not to get caught by the paparazzi, ‘Everyone just pretends that they fit in’

‘You fit in’, Off pointed out, ‘I think you fit in quite perfectly’

‘You think so?’, Gun asked, a little saddened by the idea that Off thinks he actually enjoyed the fake glitz and glamour, ‘What if I don’t wanna fit it?’, he didn’t know why he would ask that question, especially to Off who knew next to nothing about his life and he’d probably be scared if he caught a glimpse of it.

‘Are you still there?’

‘I’m outside’, Gun replied, ‘I don’t think I’m going back in’

‘Okay, I’ll come pick you up’

‘You’re still here?’

‘Look up’

Gun saw Off standing on the other side of the road, waving his hand and giving him a small but genuine smile. A wave of relief coursed through him as he hung up on the phone, running across the road to where Off was.

* * *

‘You’ve never tried McDonalds at midnight?’, Off asked with shock as the two sat inside an old McDonalds by the end of the street. It was nearly empty, with a few customers walking in and out, two bored looking workers by the till as he unwrapped his cheese burger, ‘Trust me, it’s amazing’

‘I’m a model’, Gun chuckled as he watched Off dig into his burger, letting the sauce stain the ends of his lips, ‘I have to watch what I eat, so I haven’t had a cheese burger in years’

‘Well, this could be your cheat day’, Off said, ‘I promise I’ll cook you something healthy tomorrow’

Gun internally squealed at the idea of waking up and smelling fresh breakfast in the morning whilst Off was in the kitchen, pouring him a glass of juice. Too often he found himself waking up alone at his apartment.

‘I’d like that’, Gun whispered, hiding his burning cheeks as he bit into his cheese burger, tasting the artificial fat for the first time and almost choking.

‘Here’, Off handed him a cup of soda, laughing at the way Gun gulped it down.

‘So, why do you eat at McDonalds at midnight?’, Gun asked once they finally relaxed, the stress of the party long gone between them.

‘Oh, I used to go with my friends during college after we finished studying’, Off told him, ‘It was nice after sitting all night in the library’

Gun sometimes wondered what it would be like to have the college experience. He’d only seen it in the movies and heard about it from his friends, but after being scouted by an agency in high school, he started working straight away and never looked back. He probably would’ve at least thought about college if he could go back in time.

‘And how about you?’, Off asked, forcing Gun to look at him, ‘Why did you ask me out?’

‘I thought you were cute’, Gun shrugged, not finding the question too serious.

‘I heard you and Joss were getting back together’

‘Say who?’, Gun snorted, shaking his head and laughing as he continued eating, dipping his fries on the ketchup.

‘The whole party’, Off answered, ‘And I saw you talking to him’

‘We’re you jealous?’, Gun chuckled, trying to joke around but he didn’t see Off responding and he suddenly felt guilty, ‘Look, people say that all the time cos we’ve been together for quite a while. But I promise you, we’re over. There’s no need to worry’

They continued eating in silence for a couple more minutes. It wasn’t like they didn’t have anything to say, it was just Off didn’t want to ask more questions even though he was dying to know. Why him? Gun wasn’t his type, so why choose to date him?

Off felt his phone ringing and he looked down and read Tay’s name.

‘Hello?’

‘Dude, where the hell are you? This party sucks!’, Tay shouted over the phone, the music drowning his voice a little, ‘Arm and I are gonna ditch and get some McDonalds. Wanna come?’

‘Already ahead of you’, Off chuckled, ‘Gun and I ditched’

‘Oh shit, you should’ve told us’, Tay shouted back, ‘But don’t worry. We’ll choose a different McDonalds, so take all the time with your pretty boyfriend’, he laughed, making kissy noises before hanging up the phone and leaving Off to laugh at him.

‘Who was that?’

‘Tay’, Off replied, ‘They’re heading home too’

‘Ah… I guess they didn’t like the party either’

‘Not really’, Off laughed.

‘You know, we should really do something about that red hair of yours’, Gun laughed, looking at Off’s hair which looks cool but definitely not like him, ‘Why don’t we get some hair dye and eat rid of it?’

* * *

‘Come here’, Gun laughed, taking off Off’s shirt as he rested on the side of the bathtub. Off whined a little, but he let Gun wet his hair with the shower head, drenching his hair before they started dying it. They bought a cheap hair dye from the convenience store since it was the only shop opened at night, heading over to Off’s apartment where Gun helped Off fix his hair.

‘You’re not gonna dye your hair every time I take you to meet my friends, right?’, Gun laughed as he combed the dye around Off’s hair, the pair sitting on the floor of his bathroom, their shirts stained and damp.

‘Do I have to come with you every time?’, Off asked. He couldn’t see Gun since the man was sitting behind him, bu he could feel his fingers massaging his scalp.

‘You don’t have to’, Gun sighed, admitting that it probably wasn’t best to keep forcing Off to come, especially after what his friends had to say, ‘I’m sorry if you heard them say anything insensitive. They can be a little mean’

‘Don’t worry, my friends are mean to me too’, Off replied, ‘They think someone like me can’t possibly be with someone like you’

‘Why would they say that?’, Gun asked, a little frustrated, ‘I’m not that great’

‘I mean you are’, Off turned and smiled at him, ‘A five can’t possibly be with a ten’

‘A five and a five can be together’, Gun pointed out, leaning in and kissing the back of his neck before he continued.

‘You’re not a five’

‘Yes I am’, Gun replied, ‘I’m boring and I have no personality apart from my job. So if you add the two of us together, then we’re definitely a ten’

Off chuckled, shaking his head as he turned around, grabbing Gun’s gloved hands and leaning in to give him a kiss. He didn’t quite agree with Gun, he thought the latter was the most interesting and fun. Every night was an adventure whenever Gun was around.

He was still worried, he was still anxious about what Gun’s friends thought, but tonight he didn’t care. His hair was drenched in hair dye, probably damaged from all the chemical he dumped in, his shirt discarded and stained in the bathtub whilst he snaked his arms around Gun’s waist.

Gun didn’t care that he was still wearing gloves, staining Off’s cheeks with dye when he pressed his palms against his cheeks, opening his lips and feeling Off’s hot tongue. He chuckled when he felt Off pick him up, lifting his legs easily around his waist as they stumbled out of the bathroom, Off pushing the door to his bedroom.

‘Wait, wait’, Gun giggled when they fell on the bed, ‘We need to cover your hair or the dye won’t work’, he sighed between their kisses, laughing when he saw the stains dry on Off’s cheeks.

‘Just a few more kisses’, Off whispered, leaving trails of kisses all over his face and down his neck.

‘Mhhm’, Gun moaned, wanting Off to continue and whining when he finally broke away, breathing heavily as he looked up at him, his glasses sliding down to the tip of his nose.

‘How long do you think hair dye disappears from the skin?’, Off asked as he walked back to the bathroom to get the hair cover. Gun looked down on his arms and saw the dye already drying and he realised the mess they’ve made, laughing to himself.

‘Maybe a week?’, Gun called out, to which he snorted out laughing when Off walked in with a dark hand stain on both his cheeks.

‘Are you telling me I have to come into work looking like this?!’, Off shouted as he took off his glasses and looked at himself in the mirror.

‘Why don’t we try Vaseline?’, Gun suggested, but he stayed in bed, hugging the pillow as he continued to laugh at Off who was know racing around his apartment trying to find solutions to get rid of the stains.

Gun could be at the party right now, drinking with the stars and getting wasted to the sound of house music. But he preferred spending the night at Off’s small apartment in downtown Bangkok, snickering as he ate cereal and watched Off walk around half naked as they played Lord of the Rings in the background whilst they googled ways to get hair dye stains off the skin.

Yes. He definitely preferred this.


End file.
